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Henry Avery
Henry Avery, also Evory or Every, (baptised 23 August 1659 – after 1699), was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used several aliases throughout his career, including Benjamin Bridgeman, and was known as Long Ben to his crewmen and associates. Biography Background Every was born in Newton Ferrers in the south west of England and likely a member of the local Every family. He served in the Royal Navy from 1689 to 1690. Following his discharge from the navy, he began slave trading along Africa's Slave Coast. In 1693, he was again employed as a mariner, this time as first mate aboard the warship Charles II. After leaving London in August 1693, the Charles II anchored in the northern Spanish harbor of Corunna. The crew grew discontented as Spain failed to deliver a letter of marque and Charles II's owners failed to pay their wages. On 7 May 1694, the restless sailors mutinied; Charles II was renamed the Fancy and Every elected as the new captain. The Fancy sailed south to the Indian Ocean, soon plundering five ships off the West African coast. In early 1695 the Fancy had reached the Comoros Islands, where Every's crew raided a French vessel and narrowly escaped capture by three East Indiamen. The Fancy sailed north to the Arabian Sea, where a 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels was making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, including the treasure-laden Ghanjah dhow Ganj-i-sawai and its escort, the Fateh Muhammed. Joining forces with several pirate vessels, Every found himself in command of a small pirate squadron. As the pirates gave chase, the smaller vessels in the squadron gradually fell behind, and at some point Tew was killed in an engagement with a Mughal ship. Every had more success capturing the Fateh Muhammed and later overtaking the Ganj-i-sawai, snapping its mainmast in a cannonball volley. Following several hours of ferocious hand-to-hand combat on deck, the pirates emerged victorious. Although many pirates were killed, Every captured up to £600,000 in precious metals and jewels, making him the richest pirate in the world. Avery and his crew, after a continuous manhunt by the Privy Council of England and the East India Company, fled to the Bahamas. They briefly sheltered in New Providence, making it the pirates' "home". After adopting aliases, the crew broke company, most choosing to sail home to the British Isles and the rest remaining in the British West Indies or taking to the North American colonies. Twenty-four of the pirates were eventually captured, and six were tried, convicted, and hanged in London in November 1696. Yet Avery eluded capture, vanishing from all records in 1696; his whereabouts and activities after this period are unknown. Unconfirmed accounts state he may have changed his name and retired, quietly living out the rest of his life in either Britain or an unidentified tropical island, dying sometime after 1696. Season One While discussing ways to breach the bunker of the Andromache, ''Gates comes up with the idea to have four men dangle on ropes and cut into the hull with axes and augers and then throw charges into the hole. Gates mentioned that he saw Avery try it once. An incredulous Logan then asks if it worked, and Gates repeats that he saw it ''tried. '' Appearances *VII.'' (First mentioned) *''VIII.'' (Mentioned only) *''IX.'' (Mentioned only) *''XX.'' (Mentioned only) *''XXIV.'' (Mentioned only) *''XXXVI.'' (Mentioned only) *''XXXVII.'' (Mentioned only) External Links * Category:Pirate Category:Historical Characters Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Status unknown